AIDS

Understanding

AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome . AIDS is an advanced stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, not all people with HIV will become HIV / AIDS.

AIDS is a syndrome or a collection of symptoms that arise due to a very weak immune system. Infection that should not be severe in nomal people, can be fatal in people with HIV / AIDS. Until now there is no treatment that can cure HIV / AIDS. HIV treatment aims to support the immune system so that patients can live a normal and healthy life and not become AIDS.

Cause

AIDS is caused by infection with the HIV virus. This virus attacks the immune system which should function to fight infection. HIV viruses damage white blood cells called CD4 cells. Viruses also make copies of their bodies in these cells. As a result, the immune system decreases and causes the body to fight infection. If people with HIV do not get treatment, then HIV can become AIDS within 10 to 15 years.

The HIV virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood and body fluids of patients - such as sperm, vaginal fluid, and breast milk. In many cases, transmission can be through syringe use as in injecting drug users.Another case is sexual intercourse, because there are often minor injuries that are not realized.

Diagnosis

The doctor will determine the diagnosis of HIV / AIDS from the symptoms of the patient. Investigation is needed primarily to detect the presence of antibodies to the HIV virus and the number of CD4 cells. The first test to detect HIV antibodies is an enzyme imunoassay (EIA) test. If the patient is positive, a confirmation test will be carried out with the Western Blot test.

People with normal immune systems have CD4 cells between 500 and 1500. Whereas people with HIV who have experienced a decline in CD4 cells, this number drops to below 200 and has been said to be HIV / AIDS. Other investigations aim to find out what opportunistic infections that attack HIV / AIDS sufferers such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, some types of cancer and so on.

Symptoms

Symptoms of HIV / AIDS include serious infections such as:

• prolonged diarrhea
• nausea and vomiting
• cold sweat at night
• fever
• persistent cough
• skin and mouth problems such as fungal infections
• recurrent and frequent infections
• serious illness
• weakness and excessive fatigue
• weight loss

Treatment

Until now there is no treatment that can cure HIV / AIDS. The goal of treatment is to stop the development of the disease and support the patient to live a normal life. It is important to start HIV treatment early so that HIV does not become HIV / AIDS.

Treatment is carried out using antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). These drugs fight HIV infection and slow the spread of viruses in the body. There are several classes of ARV drugs such as:

• protease inhibitors
• integrase inhibitors
• nucleoside / nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
• non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
• chemokine co-receptor antagonists
• entry inhibitors

Usually, treatment is done using a combination of several types of drugs.The types of drug combinations vary depending on each patient. HIV / AIDS treatment must be done for life. Medicines must also be taken regularly on the same schedule. Patients should control and check regularly with the doctor for changing drug dosages if needed.

The following are some of the side effects of treatment:

• nausea
• weak
• diarrhea
• headache
• skin rash

Prevention

How to prevent HIV / AIDS is to prevent transmission of the HIV virus.Prevention can include avoiding direct contact with the patient's fluids and blood.

Also, avoid using syringes and free sexual relations. Using safety such as condoms during sexual intercourse can prevent transmission of HIV / AIDS.It is also important to carry out early detection and treatment of HIV so that HIV does not become a more severe stage of HIV / AIDS.